Banks have put in place strict regulations to protect the interests of customers. However, if a customer does not adhere to certain provisions, he could be levied a hefty penalty as well.

Withdrawing over minimum balance

Although some banks do provide the option of a zero-balance savings bank account, there are many private lenders that require customers to hold a quarterly balance of R10,000. If the customer fails to maintain the minimum balance in the account, a fine is levied on it. The quarterly balance system can be slightly tricky; sometimes, without a customer even realising it, he might end up not maintaining the requisite average balance. It is, therefore, advisable to leave the requisite minimum balance for a fair number of days so that it gets adjusted with the quarterly balance.

Using non-bank ATMs

As per RBI norms, a maximum of five transactions from non-bank ATMs are allowed every month. If you exceed this number, you will end up paying a fee for it. The transactions could be withdrawing cash, checking balances or even changing ATM PIN. Earlier, this rule was applicable to cash withdrawal only. The charges levied for cash transaction are R20 and for R9 for non-cash transaction if the customer exceeds the limit of five transactions a month.

Overlooking bank notices

Most banks send quarterly account statements, overdraft notices and other correspondences by mail. It is normal to either throw these mails away or just put them away somewhere. The account statements are required for many purposes such as applying for housing loans, address proof, etc. Banks levy charges for issuing duplicate statements and although this can be done over the phone, it is a time-consuming process. Of course, for those who use online banking, they can simply take printouts of the account statement. However, a lot of necessary notice arrives from banks, which also include lucrative offers that a person must not simply discard.

Updating personal details

Updating personal information, such as address and phone number, is a tedious process as the new details have to be submitted with relevant proof and an application form at the bank branch. Some banks do offer this facility online as well. Some allow customers to change their phone numbers from the ATM, but public sector banks do not offer such conveniences. However, procrastinating in this matter can lead to a lot of problems since you will miss out on bank correspondences and your